Accessory apps and notifications

Some accessories can get notifications from your phone, including an alert that the notification has been received, as well as the data associated with the notification. Notifications can include the following:

Phone call notifications, including caller ID

SMS messages, including sender and text body

Reminders

Alarms

Third-party notification banners

Email messages

Media playback metadata

By being able to get notifications on your accessory, you can keep your phone in your pocket or purse and still get that important text or reminder.

Accessory apps

Accessories get notifications via an accessories companion app that runs on the phone. This app is created by the accessory manufacturer and is typically downloaded by the phone owner. Accessory apps can run in the background and receive notification data. The accessory app can then send the notification data to the actual hardware accessory over a connection such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

Your phone manufacturer may provide a preinstalled accessory app to support active phone covers. An active phone cover lets you interact with your phone while the cover is closed and your phone is locked. For example, it could show you the time or your notifications. When you have an active phone cover attached to your phone and a compatible accessory app installed, the app will automatically be allowed to receive notifications from your phone. You can change this setting at any time.

How an accessory app uses your notification data, such as the content of your messages, is subject to the app publisher's privacy practices.

Enable or disable notifications to accessory apps

You can turn on notification data for a compatible accessory app so your phone will send notification data to it, or you can turn off notification data and stop providing notification data to the app.

In the App list, tap Settings

.

Tap Accessory apps, and then tap the app that you'd like to enable or disable notifications for.